Southern California -- home of the high-speed freeway chase -- was the scene of a different kind of pursuit Friday afternoon: one that reached speeds of 0 mph.

Thanks to "some type of tracking device" hidden in a bag of stolen money, authorities were able to locate bank robbers on the northbound 110 Freeway, halt traffic and conduct a car-to-car search, said Deputy Albert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"The trackers out there are pretty accurate," said Martinez.

Hundreds of cars were backed up in the Hawthorne area around 1 p.m. as police officers on foot waded through a sea of vehicles.

Aerial video showed at least two people being taken into custody (pictured, below), and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed a third person was also arrested.

By 1:20 p.m., the freeway was reopened and traffic was returning to normal levels.

The search was believed to be linked to an armed bank robbery in Moreno Valley earlier in the day, Martinez said. At least three masked men robbed the Altura Credit Union around 9:20 a.m., according to police.